Halle Bailey on Playing Ariel and the Best Advice Beyoncé Has Given Her

'The Little Mermaid' star chatted exclusively with Parade about finding her own voice.

While Ariel gave up her voice in The Little Mermaid, playing the character helped Halle Bailey find her own voice.

The singer and actress stars as the Disney princess in the live-action reimagining of the animated classic movie. Bailey told Parade in an exclusive interview that when it came to playing Ariel, "I just was myself."

"I feel like Ariel would have been an Aries like me," Bailey said. "Fire sign because she's very fiery, very passionate, very knows what she wants type of girl, you know?"

The movie was not only a "beautiful journey," but also a learning experience for the Grammy-nominated artist, who revealed that Ariel "taught me a lot about myself and how to speak up and how to find my voice. No pun intended."

The Little Mermaid swims onto the big screen on May 26, 2023. Bailey shared that viewers "can just expect the same nostalgic feeling of the beautiful songs that we all know and love," as well as a "more modern version of the film just to reflect the times that we live in today."

Continue reading for more from Parade's exclusive interview with Halle Bailey—who partnered with ZYRTEC to celebrate the first day of spring and kicked off the brand’s "Beat the Mondays" tour—to see what she had to say about The Little Mermaid, The Color Purple and the best piece of advice Beyoncé has given her.

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Singing live isn't always easy! Have allergies ever impacted your performances?

Allergies have definitely played a big part in my life. I am from Georgia, the climate there is a lot more humid and so for a while, I didn't really have many flare-ups living there. But when I moved here to L.A., I noticed a difference in my body and the way my body reacts, my allergies and everything, because it's a lot drier here. So especially with hectic schedules and being on the road and having to travel and perform and do things like this early in the morning, you want to sound clear, you want to sound right, so ZYRTEC has always been my saving grace.

How do you like to beat the Monday blues?

Ooh, you know, sometimes I'll listen to music. If it's rainy and gloomy like it has been here in L.A. for the past few days, I love to just stay in bed, watch movies, order good food, things like that, that make me happy, or go to the studio, make music. Things like that.

We're getting closer to the release of The Little Mermaid, which comes out this spring. Have you seen the movie yet?

I saw the first draft of the film and I was just sobbing the whole time.

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How does it feel to bring this iconic princess to life and to be Disney's first Black live-action princess?

Yes, it's an amazing feeling to be able to take on the role of Ariel. I just feel so grateful, so honored and so proud that other young Black and Brown babies are gonna get to see themselves and know that they are worthy and they should be princesses and princes too. It's a really exciting time for me.

I feel like with a lot of the live actions we've seen in recent years, like Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin, the princesses are being portrayed as strong empowering characters. Can we expect the same of your Ariel?

Absolutely. Yes. I mean, I feel like in the original, Ariel was already really headstrong and knew what she wants for her future, but it's just really honing into that more and seeing that passionate side of her more, so I definitely would say so.

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How did you put your own spin on the character?

I think I just was myself when it came to filming Ariel. I feel like Ariel would have been an Aries like me. Fire sign because she's very fiery, very passionate, very knows what she wants type of girl, you know? So just bringing that element, and then I feel like she taught me a lot about myself and how to speak up and how to find my voice. No pun intended. So, you know, it was a really beautiful journey getting to play Ariel.

Did you actually have to put on a mermaid tail or is that CGI?  

Sometimes I would put on a mermaid tail for sure when I was in Italy doing the beach scenes. But when I was in London at Pinewood [Studios], it was a lot of just CGI tail. I didn't have to wear the tail when I was like, flying in the air.

How was the process of getting the tail on?

You know, it's like a second skin. So you need like two people to help you!

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What can fans of the original film expect from the reimagining of this classic movie?

You know, I think people can just expect the same nostalgic feeling of the beautiful songs that we all know and love, and just a new take on it, a more modern version of the film just to reflect the times that we live in today.

When the teaser came out last year, there were so many sweet videos of little girls reacting to you as Ariel. What did those reactions mean to you? 

Yeah, those reactions meant everything to me. I mean, especially seeing the babies, I just— lose my mind. I just start crying. And I'm like, I don't believe that they're reacting this way to my version of Ariel and I'm so happy that they are, so it's really, really kind.

Who was your favorite Disney princess growing up?

So funnily enough, Ariel was my favorite Disney princess, but the two movies that my sister [Chloe Bailey] and I would watch all the time would be Lion King, which was our No. 1, and then Mermaid.

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Aside from The Little Mermaid, you're also going to be in The Color Purple this year. What was the experience like working on that film adaptation?

Getting to work on The Color Purple was absolutely amazing because that's another movie that has been such a staple for me, especially just in the Black community, in my family. You know, my grandparents would always have that movie playing in the background. So getting to do a new version of this film with legends that I know and adore like Fantasia [Barrino] and Taraji P. Henson, I mean, I think people should just expect that musically and the acting and stuff, it'll just be amazing. But Fantasia's voice, woo! It's so beautiful. So I'm just excited for people to see what we've done with it and grateful that I got to have, you know, play a small part in that film.

Oprah's in the original movie, Steven Spielberg directed it, and they're both producers of the new The Color Purple. What was it like working with those two iconic figures in Hollywood?

Especially Oprah's a big inspiration to me, so getting to see her on set and to see that she was just a normal person who's so kind and beautiful inside and out was really spectacular. And she called me a couple of times after set and just voiced how proud she was of me. And that's another moment where you're like, "Am I really doing this? I'm talking to Oprah right now!"

Going into these projects, did you feel pressure with them being adaptations and characters that we have already seen?

Absolutely. I definitely think there's a bit of pressure just because everybody loves these movies and they all carry such a special place in each of our hearts. So I understand, as a movie lover I get sensitive too, but I'm just really excited for people to see our versions of these films, and I think that they'll be very proud.

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Someone you know has also starred in a musical film, Dream Girls: Beyoncé. Did you turn to her for any advice before entering these projects?

Absolutely. Before and after. You know, I find that with her, she has been through a lot. She's been through everything. She's done this since she was younger, so the fact that I get to kind of just consult with her just for advice is really, really [an] amazing resource. And I tell her all the time, "I'm just grateful to hear what you think, to know what you think, because you are a legend and, you know, your advice means everything to me." So she's just always been so encouraging and just so complimentary, and I'm just very grateful for her voice of reason in times when I feel like I really need advice.

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What would you say is the best piece of advice she's given you?

I really think just staying true to yourself and standing in your power—knowing what you're worth and not letting people walk all over you or take you for granted and standing in that power.

Aside from these two movies, what's next for you?

Yes, well Mermaid comes out in May and then after that hopefully new music from me and then Color Purple of course.

It's really cool to see all these projects that I worked on last year and the year before and the year before that finally start to roll out because it's been a period of just work, work, work and not really seeing anything! So now that I'm starting to see it, I'm like, "Wow, this is really cool."

Can we expect music with you and your sister? Or more solo?

Absolutely with my sister and me, as well as on my own, too. You know, music is our favorite thing to do. So we're just so excited to be doing it together and separately, and her album [In Pieces] actually comes out in a few days on March 31. So everyone should look forward to that. In Pieces—it's gonna be amazing!

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

Next, check out the best Disney Princess quotes.